Truth: Plain old physical exercise seems to be better for brain health
than any type of mental puzzle available, according to a wealth of
research.
A spate of recent studies suggests that aerobic exercise - any kind of activity that
raises your heart rate and gets you moving and sweating for a sustained period
of time - has a significant, overwhelmingly beneficial impact on the brain. When it
comes to boosting your mood, improving your memory, and protecting your brain
against age-related cognitive decline, exercise may be as close to a wonder drug as
we'll get. "Aerobic exercise is the key for your head, just as it is for your heart," wrote
the authors of a recent Harvard Medical School blog post.
Myth: Puzzles and games are great
workouts for your brain.
Truth: As opposed to sit-ups, which target only your abdominal
muscles, planks recruit several groups of muscles along your sides,
front, and back.
If you want a strong core - especially the kind that would give you 6-pack-like
definition - you need to challenge all of these muscles. "Sit-ups or crunches strengthen
just a few muscle groups," write the authors of the Harvard Healthbeat newsletter.
"Through dynamic patterns of movement, a good core workout helps strengthen the
entire set of core muscles you use every day."
Myth: Sit-ups are the best way to get
6-pack abs.
Truth: If you're looking to lose weight, don't assume that you can
simply "work off" whatever you eat.
Experts say slimming down almost always starts with significant changes to your
eating habits. "In terms of weight loss, diet plays a much bigger role than exercise,"
stated University of Texas exercise scientist, Philip Stanforth. That said, being
active regularly is an important part of any healthy lifestyle.
Myth: Exercise is the best way to lose
weight.
Truth: In most people, muscle tissue can start to break down within a
week without regular exercise.
"If you stop training, you actually do get noticeable de-conditioning, or the
beginnings of de-conditioning, with as little as seven days of complete rest,"
Shawn Arent, director of the Centre for Health and Human Performance at Rutgers
University, said. "It very much is an issue of use it or lose it."
Myth: It takes at least two weeks to get
'out of shape.'
Say what... Digital Magazine • Issue 50 • February 2018 • • http://saywhat.nz
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